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University of Colorado Boulder

Business Writing

This course is part of multiple programs.

191,889 already enrolled

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

(4,671 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
Approx. 12 hours
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

(4,671 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
Approx. 12 hours
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

  • Write clearly and effectively.

Details to know

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Assessments

28 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

The first lesson in this module introduces the Effective Communication specialization, the capstone project, and the Business Writing course. You'll meet the writing instructor, Dr. Quentin McAndrew, and her counterparts Dave Underwood and Professor William Kuskin, who teach Graphic Design and Successful Presentation. Dave and William join Quentin to offer insights into how writing, design, and presentation relate to a process of continuous personal branding that we call Effective Communication. In this module, you'll discover the simple principles that inform all great business writing and that serve as the foundation of this course. These lessons set the stage for the deeper exploration and specific techniques that follow, not just in Business Writing, but in Graphic Design and Successful Presentation as well. Let's get started!

What's included

13 videos7 readings4 assignments3 discussion prompts

Did you know that the most important element of good writing isn't good writing? It's good organization. If you haven't organized your documents for maximum effectiveness, you've wasted an opportunity to present your ideas--and yourself--with power. This module teaches you the universal organizational formula that allows you to optimize your business writing. You'll understand how the principles you learned in Module One build to this formula, and you'll see how a scaffold gets created and applied to a real business document. By the end of this module, you'll be able to wield your organizational knowledge in service of your ideas and personal brand, and you'll have built the foundation that allows you to generate powerful sentences in Module Three.

What's included

9 videos2 readings4 assignments2 discussion prompts

In the first lesson of Module Three, we'll apply our writing principles and our scaffold to creating an actual memo. You'll see, step-by-step, how the scaffold guides the writing process to make it easier to create a forceful business document. You'll understand how to apply the scaffold to guide sentence and paragraph creation, and you'll have a chance to test and reinforce your new skills. The second lesson covers common grammatical errors that sap many writers' professional brands. Short videos explain each error, why each hurts your clarity, and how to correct your writing--even if you don't remember the grammar rule. You'll understand why these changes are important to your goal of Effective Communication and why it's important to eliminate these common missteps from your own writing.

What's included

15 videos12 assignments2 peer reviews

So, you've started to write a document . . . Module Four takes you beyond the scaffold and good grammar to provide you with specific tips that will elevate your language, infuse your writing with clarity, and amp up your ability to communicate your ideas effectively. Every lesson in this module is based on the principles you learned in Module One, and they form a checklist of techniques that you can apply to any business document to insure your ideas shine on the page. Short videos on emails and longer documents give you simple techniques for applying the lessons of this course to a broad range of your work.

What's included

15 videos1 reading8 assignments2 discussion prompts

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.9 (1,321 ratings)
Dr. Quentin McAndrew
2 Courses195,693 learners

Offered by

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4.8

4,671 reviews

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SR
5

Reviewed on Feb 5, 2019

MA
5

Reviewed on Nov 29, 2020

DA
5

Reviewed on Nov 19, 2019

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